


Bits and Pieces

by Acosmiclove



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, GingerRoseWeek2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:41:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24113728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acosmiclove/pseuds/Acosmiclove
Summary: Rose and Hux dance around their feelings for each other. A series of awkward, sensual, and angsty encounters in honor of Gingerroseweek2020!
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico
Comments: 10
Kudos: 54
Collections: GingerRoseWeek2020





	1. Ungloved

Rose bit her lip as she held back wiring from an open panel beneath the navigational table. She’d finally located the bolt she’d been searching for. Without taking her eyes off it, she held her free hand out behind her, palm up. She smirked to herself when the familiar weight and shape of a hydrospanner settled in her grip. Her knees hurt from kneeling on the gravel under the table for so long, so she shifted a bit, twisting to rest on her hip, letting her legs splay out. There was the distinct sound of joints popping in relief.  
The bolt came off easily. It held in place a divider that separated the input wires from the output wires. A precaution in place to keep people from mixing them up.  
  
“Here.” Rose passed the bolt and separator piece back to her begrudging assistant. She felt the pass of his gloved fingers over her bare ones as he took what she offered. Rose swallowed back a strange feeling rising in her chest. Whatever it was, she dispelled it fully with a small huff through her nose. The headlamp strapped to her forehead illuminated burnt out circuitry. “Damn.” The power surge had fried the adjacent input wires as well.  
  
A masculine ‘hmm’ sounded somewhere behind her. She heard boots shift across rough ground. “I’ll take that to mean that this isn’t going to be the ’easy patch job’ you so confidently claimed earlier.”  
  
Rose scrunched her nose in annoyance and twisted up and out from under the table. Her head came up nearly between Armitage Hux’s legs. He blinked down at her, mouth falling open slightly. Rose felt her cheeks heat. When had he scooted his chair so close? This was awkward, yes, but if she just kept her eyes up, she wouldn’t be tempted to dwell on the fact that her face was literally a foot from his crotch... “You can just leave, if you have someplace better to be.”  
  
She could see his throat working, his expression shifted to something like offense.  
“I am not _complaining_. I was merely making an obser—“  
  
“Oh, is that what it was?” Rose cut him off, laughing dryly. “I thought maybe you were getting tired of looking at my backside.”  
  
Hux pursed his lips and his brow furrowed minutely. She didn’t understand what had come over her to make her say that, it had just jumped out...  
  
At that moment Rose realized he’d been absolutely still since she’d come up from the under the table. A glance at his gloved hands showed them firmly gripping the armrests of his chair.  
“Um... Is something wrong?”  
  
In what was a rather graceless motion for the former First Order general, Hux attempted to shove his chair back. It’s wheeled feet wouldn’t budge, having long ago been jammed up with the pebbles that made up the cavern floor. The rest of the chair and Hux kept going - though instead of straight back, he was tipping in more of a downward trajectory.  
  
Rose instinctively grabbed his knees and pushed them down as she leaned up on her own. With her help, the chair and Hux righted themselves. Only now, Rose was closer than ever. Her fingers twitched where they rested on his knees. Hux’s face was flushed. His ginger hair had flopped down in the brief upset and it hung over his brow in a way that made Rose’s stomach flip. “Thank you.” He mumbled, eyes looking anywhere but at her.  
  
It was rare that she saw him so affected. Usually he was reserved, appearing aloof with his perfect posture. He spoke very little outside of what was necessary, save for the snide comment here or there. Though, recently he’d been more open in her company.  
Rose rolled her bottom lip through her teeth. Moreover, she’d noticed how he only ever seemed to cooperate without question when it was _her_ doing the asking. Any other Resistance member had to suffer his haughty attitude if they wanted something of him. Clearly he favored her. Kaydel had teased Rose about it once and at the time Rose had brushed her friend’s words off as nonsense, but now...?  
“You’re not usually so jumpy, Hux.”  
  
He finally met her gaze, looking down to where she was still situated between his legs. “You’re not usually this _close_ , Tico.”  
  
Rose blushed and immediately lifted her hands from him and sat back on her heels. “Eh... Right. Sorry.”  
  
Now given some room to breath, Hux cleared his throat, “It’s forgotten. Now, what exactly is your plan? Do we need to replace everything or can we salvage...”  
  
His voice, with it’s thick Imperial accent, faded out as Rose found herself solely focused on what he was doing with his _hands_. Hux was slowly peeling a glove off. It was the most mesmerizing thing Rose had seen in...well... she couldn’t recall. The black leather made a small noise of protest as it stretched over his knuckles and was finally jerked free. She licked her lips. His hand, which she’d seen gloveless only a few times, reached up to his hair and brushed it back into place with several practiced combs of his long, pale fingers.  
  
“Tico?” Hux snapped those alabaster digits in her face, “Rose? Are you even listening to me?”  
  
Rose started with a gasp and her eyes snapped up to his. “What?”  
  
Hux sighed long-sufferingly, “Must I repeat myself?”  
  
With a huff, she rolled her shoulders back, “I heard you. And yes, we need to replace all the input wiring and resolder a few things.”  
  
He nodded once and stood, only to kneel down to her level. “Let’s get on with it then, commander.“ He gestured to the ripped open panel under the table, “This isn’t going to fix itself.”  
  
“You—?”  
  
“Yes, I’m helping you. It turns out I _was_ tired of staring at your backside after all.”  
  
Rose laughed. It was rare he made a joke. “Oh? Well, I wasn’t aware it made for such a poor view.”  
  
Hux bent his lanky body into the space under the table with a small grunt. “I didn’t say anything about it being less than adequate.”  
  
Rose balked at him as she crawled over to sit beside him. “Are you... is that a compliment?”  
  
Hux raised a brow and said in a low tone, just for the two of them to hear, “Commander Tico, is this appropriate workplace conversation?”  
  
Even though she could tell he wasn’t being totally serious, Rose felt shame hot at the back of her neck. Perhaps she was reading into his friendly banter. She wouldn’t want to make things more awkward than they already were by flirting with him if he wasn’t actually interested. “I guess not...”  
  
Hux’s lips quirked down as he pulled his glove back on. Rose tried not to stare. They fell into the work quietly. As Rose removed ruined wiring, Hux prepared replacements for her to install and passed her the necessary tools to finish the job. He only bumped his head on the bottom of the table twice, which was a wonder.  
  
“I need you to hold this divider in place so I can screw the bolt back on...” Rose sucked in a sharp breath as he leaned into her space, a long arm reaching past her to position the aforementioned piece where she needed it. She could feel his breath on her forehead. If she hadn’t been sweating before, she was now.  
  
“Any day now, Tico.” He rumbled. She could feel his words from where his chest leaned against her shoulder.  
  
“R-Right...” The hydrospanner made quick work of the bolt, but just as she finished, Hux hissed and snatched his hand back. A bright electric shock had singed his hand, or rather, his glove. “Kriff! Are you okay?”  
  
Hux rubbed at the his middle finger, lips twisted in mild discomfort. “I’m _fine_.”  
  
Despite the voice in her head telling her to let it go, get out, and move on to the next project, Rose found herself drawn in by whatever it was that had been building between them. “Here...” She reached out tentatively to take his hand. There was a fraction of a second of resistance before he acquiesced. Rose felt his eyes heavy on her as she dipped her chin and took the end of a gloved fingertip between her teeth. He flinched, but her hold on his bare wrist only tightened. She felt his pulse flutter under her grip. Slowly, she tugged. The taste of leather and oil was strong in her mouth as she worked her way to each fingertip, loosening his glove from hand. Finally, she pulled it free. The glove dangled loose from her lips before she let it drop into her lap.  
  
“Was that...” Hux sounded hoarse. He cleared his throat, “Was that _necessary_?” They both know it wasn’t, so Rose doesn’t bother with an answer. Instead, she doubled down.  
Rose took his middle finger in her mouth.  
Hux made a startled, desperate sound in the back of his throat. “Mhh—?”  
  
She suckles lightly on the singed digit and looks up from under her lashes at the former First Order general. Seeing him, curled up impossibly small in the dimly lit space, lips parted, eyes half lidded... it was exhilarating to say the least. She felt powerful in a way she never had before.  
  
“Commander Tico!”  
  
Rose almost bit Hux’s finger in surprise. Hux jumped and hit his head on the table. Again.  
“Yes!?” She scrambles out to see Lieutenant Connix jogging towards her through the scattered terminals of the communications hub. She halts and lifts a brow as Hux crawls out behind Rose.  
  
“Sorry to interrupt...” Her smirk betrayed her suspicions. Rose flushed in embarrassment. “...but we’ve got a fuel leak on the _Tantive_.”  
  
“Again?”  
  
“Sorry, Rose. I think whatever replacement parts we’re getting in are subpar quality.”  
  
“I’ll be there shortly.”  
  
Kaydel glanced down at the glove that had fallen from Rose’s lap, “Of course, Commander.”  
  
As soon as Kaydel turned around, Rose snatched the glove from the gravel and pressed it into Hux’s chest. Rose swallowed hard as she stared up into his green eyes. “That was- I.. I’m sorry.”  
  
“Don’t be.” Hux assured her as the last tinge of pink faded from his cheeks. He slid his hand back into his glove. “Perhaps... we could pick up where we left off. Later?” He doesn’t wait for an answer as he heads for the cavern entrance.  
  
Rose blinked in astonishment at his retreating back. Slowly, a smile formed. Later?  
She could hardly wait.


	2. Survival of the Ones Who Can Share a Greatcoat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 of Gingerroseweek2020! “Survival”!  
> Hux and Rose aren’t on the best of terms at the moment, and to make matters worse, they are stranded on a freezing cold planet. Will the extreme circumstances force them to set aside their differences?

Rose Tico and Armitage Hux watched their transport burn. Metal screeched and warped under wild flames. A death song of sorts. The extreme heat was felt meters away. Even given the circumstance of it, Rose had to appreciate the warmth. The planet they’d crashed on was cold. Freezing. Once their ship burned out completely, they would have no source of heat. All of their supplies had been on the transport. They’d barely made it out once they’d made impact. She glanced over to Hux. He was likely realizing the same thing she was.  
  
“Are you hurt?” He had been favoring his right leg when he’d dragged her out. She’d been concussed from the violent landing and extremely disoriented. If he hadn’t pulled her to safety, she’d likely have gone up in smoke.  
  
“Yes.” He admitted stonily, eyes flicking down his nose to hers. She couldn’t read his expression. He was always so difficult to get a bearing on— and so it was to her surprise, when he abruptly sat down hard on the permafrost. Naturally, she followed to kneel beside him. “I think I’ve a laceration on my calf.”  
  
He was right. Rose ripped at his tattered pant leg and was greeted with the acrid smell of blood. It had fortunately already begun to congeal, but it was obvious through the mess that it was a nasty slice. “Oh, Hux...”  
  
“I do not need your pity. I need medical attention.” He bit out through clenched teeth.  
  
Rose reasoned that he was more agitated than usual due to the stress of the situation, but she couldn’t help but retort, “And I need you to stop being an asshole to me, right now.”  
  
His lips twisted up in a sneer, “Or what?”  
  
She cinched tight the make-shift bandage she’d rigged out of his torn pant leg. He cried out in pain. The first genuine emotion he’d shown since they’d crawled out of the burning ship behind them. “Or I’ll be an asshole right back.”  
  
Hux shot her a glare, but kept his mouth shut. It had been their arguing that had brought them to this point. He had warned her of the dangers of flying too close to the atmosphere, but she’d insisted that her prototype thermal shield would hold up against the harsh environment. Strangely, it wasn’t anything they’d predicted that brought down their vessel. It had been an enormous avian creature barreling into them. It had torn a wing off and punctured an engine with its talons. And yet, even though it had been a freak accident, Rose knew that if she’d listened to Hux initially, they wouldn’t currently be freezing to death on this desolate rock. “We need to find shelter.” Hux said with a sigh. He looked exhausted now that the adrenaline had worn off. Rose figured she looked much the same.  
  
She stands. Her back aches. “That ridge looks like it’s protected from the wind.” She pointed past their crash site.  
  
Hux squinted at it, lifting his hand to rest at his brow in an attempt to see better, “I believe you are right. It is within a quarter hour’s walk, I’d say.”  
  
“You can just say fifteen minutes, you know.” She muttered as she held out a hand for him to grasp.  
  
He took it, letting her help him to his feet. “I don’t see the why it matters how I say it.”  
  
“It just sounds weird.”  
  
He heaved a sigh through his nose and rolled his eyes. “Noted.”  
  
Rose had to help him traverse the uneven terrain down the slope back towards the wreck. His arm leaned heavily over her shoulders as he limped beside her. As they passed the shuttle, Rose spotted a stray cable thrown from the burning hull. She knelt to pick it up. It was a useful length. She coiled it and attached it to her utility belt. Hux’s eyes watched her every move. Rose took his arm again and pressed into his side to support his much taller frame. “Never know when it could come in handy.” She supplied.  
  
Hux made a hum of acknowledgment, but didn’t comment further. They focused on getting to the safety of the ridge. Night would fall soon, and they didn’t want to be caught out in the open. With each step, Rose noticed Hux clenching his jaw. He’d long ago stopped looking ahead, instead bowing his head to watch his footing. His ginger hair was askew and nearly obscuring his eyes. She tried to take more of his weight, but it was hard with their height difference. “You hailed the Resistance before we went down, right?”  
  
“I tried. I’m not sure if it went through.”  
  
“Ah. So we will be waiting for a rescue that may or may not come?”  
  
Rose tightened her grip on his wrist hanging over her shoulder. She didn’t want to think what would become of them if they weren’t found. “Lets not consider the worst yet.”  
  
They reached the ridge, and to their pleasant surprise, the recess they’d singled out wasn’t as shallow as they’d thought. It was a proper cavern entrance. Rose guided Hux far enough back into the cave that they didn’t feel the wind, but still had the light from the outside. Hux slid to the floor and leaned against the wall. Rose looked around, gears turning in her mind. They needed a fire. The temperature was dropping rapidly already— “Rose.” A weak voice came.  
  
Rose whipped her head to him. He never used her first name. She narrowed her eyes at him. He was as pale as the snow that had begun to fall outside. She swallowed the fear threatening to grip her heart. What if he didn’t make it? No, he would. He was just cold. The wound he sustained wasn’t life threatening as long as it didn’t get infected... “What?”  
  
“There were shrubs growing on the slope coming up here... perhaps they will burn?”  
  
Rose nodded in relief. “Good idea.”  
  
“Be careful, commander.”  
  
The low bushes were scraggly and didn’t look like they’d fuel a fire for long, but Rose knew something was better than nothing. She ripped the dry shrubbery out of the permafrost and utilized the requisitioned cable at her hip by wrapping it around the growing bundle. She packed the bushy kindling back to the cave on her back, cable slung over her shoulder. The branches scratched at her neck and back. “I collected as much as I could...” She trailed off, realizing that Hux was unmoving in his seated position. His chin hung against his chest. “Hux?”  
  
Rose dropped the firewood. Panic flooded her and she stumbled to his side. A hand reached for his in his lap, while the other cupped his jaw. Two fingers searched for a pulse at his neck. “No, no...” He was so cold. Too cold. “Damn it, Hux!” Her own hands were too frigid to properly feel for a sign of life. She dropped the hand from his jaw to the front of his greatcoat. Her fingers worked their way passed the buttons of his coat and uniform jacket to splay against his undershirt. His core still held warmth. “Please, Armitage. Wake up!”  
  
Perhaps it was the icy touch of her hand that roused him, but Hux jolted suddenly and gasped - eyes focusing on her with some annoyance. Rose didn’t care what he thought. She was just relieved he was alive. “Why are you crying, Tico? I’m fine!”  
  
Of course he wasn’t going to act grateful. Rose furiously wiped at her eyes and turned away sharply without a word. She busied herself with starting a fire. It wasn’t easy, but by striking her hydrospanner with a rock, she was able to create sparks enough to light the carefully organized pyre of brush.  
  
The heat was a balm to her frayed emotions. “Get over here.” She ordered hoarsely.  
  
She didn’t turn to watch him, but she knew he struggled to join her at the fireside. His labored breathing and hisses of pain told her enough. He sat close. It was the closest he’d been since that day beneath the navigation table. She pushed that encounter from her mind. It had been a moment of weakness on both their parts. They were colleagues, but not friends. He’d proven that since that day. “How’s your head?”  
  
That was right. She’d forgotten about smacking her temple on the console during the crash. It was the whole reason she’d only been semiconscious when he’d ripped her seat restraints off and tugged her to safety. Rose touched her forehead. There was still a significant bump there and she felt dried Blood flake away under her touch. She winced. “I’m... I’m sure it’s not that bad.”  
  
“Don’t be ridiculous. You likely have a mild concussion. All sorts of complications could come with that.” He sniffed. The cold was making their noses run. “Don’t hesitate to tell me if you start to feel strange.”  
  
“Of course, Dr. Hux.” She quipped dryly.  
  
He snorted. “I’d not make for a good doctor.”  
  
“Your bedside manner would be atrocious.” Rose agreed. “You’re better at hurting things then healing things.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Rose inwardly cringed. That was harsh.  
  
Hux went quiet. Rose stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye. His mouth was pursed and he stared into the flames with some stewing emotion. Just when Rose thought he would give her the silent treatment for the foreseeable future, he spoke, “I’ve never took pleasure in death.” His fist balled in the pant fabric of his good leg. “I’ve thought it necessary, but I have no love for it.”  
  
“I see.” It was difficult to understand though. He never showed regret for his actions - always rationalizing them with his belief that the First Order could have and would have brought order, and subsequently, peace to the galaxy. Even as he bunked up with the Resistance, he held to that ideal. He saw the Order as ill and weak. Needing restructure. Rose had known all this, but over time, as they had worked closely together, she’d let herself believe that his mind might be changing. That he might see how the First Order was wrong. Unfortunately, the only one in the wrong was her. She’d gotten too hopeful.  
  
Night was falling. Even with their slow burning fire before them, their backs were freezing. Rose wondered how and if they would sleep. She wrapped her arms around herself. Unlike Hux, she had no coat to pull tighter around her. Only her long sleeve and vest. When Hux sidled even closer, she didn’t complain. It was becoming clear that to survive, they needed to share warmth - feelings be damned. “Here.” He opened his coat and draped one side around her, letting her slip her arm into the now empty sleeve. Instantly she felt warmer.  
  
Her hand curled against her chest and caressed the pendant there. If only Paige were here and not this infuriating, and confusing man. If only things had gone a little differently... She banished those thoughts. No. It did no good to think of what might have been. Reality wasn’t kind, but it was what she had, and to reject it would be dangerous. She had to be clear headed. Especially now. “I’m sorry I yelled at you last week.”  
  
Hux stiffened slightly. He was likely remembering the vitriol they’d spat at each other. Rose angry about his dogged belief in the merits of the First Order, and Hux annoyed that she had assumed anything different. Whatever warmth had been brewing between them had died with the exchange.  
  
_”My sister would still be alive if your precious Order didn’t exist!”_  
  
_”You are incorrect. Your sister would still be alive if she hadn’t challenged the First Order!”_  
  
Rose had stormed away before she could burst into tears in front of him. That night had been rough. Technically, Hux was right about her sister. Rose was also right, but it was a moot point. The following days were quiet between them. Only short words exchanged when necessary. They still did good work, but whatever idyllic existence they’d pretended existed between them had been dashed to pieces. The mission to test Rose’s prototype thermal shields had been one that Rose had thrown together last minute. General Leia insisted she take Hux with her. She’d hinted at it being a test for Hux, but Rose wondered if she’d picked up on the animosity between them and wanted them to work it out.  
  
“Untoward things were said.” Hux admitted. She could hear him swallow. “It was regrettable.”  
  
“Are you apologizing?” She pressed, looking up at his frost nipped features.  
  
Hux shifted. His head bowed slightly towards her. Rose watched the firelight dance over his face, “I am admitting that it was unfortunate for us to quarrel. I have never worked with someone such as yourself.” His gaze flicked to where her hand grasped her pendant, “You... you have a keen mind. I can acknowledge that we make an efficient and proactive team. Us falling out was not my want or intention.”  
  
It was the most he’d said to her in a days. Rose wasn’t entirely satisfied with his non-apology, but she recognized his effort. “Okay. Fine. I just... we might die here and even if we don’t, I don’t want us to be at each other’s throats anymore.”  
  
Her heart rate increased when he rested a hand at her knee. “I would like to make amends.”  
  
She licked at her bottom lip, “How?”  
  
He plucked her hand from it’s place at her medallion and gingerly lifted it towards him. Watching her all the while with his spring green eyes, he kissed her palm. Rose shuddered at the strange intimacy of it. Soon his lips were traveling down to place open mouth kisses to the inside of her wrist. Never had she been treated to such simple tenderness. All of her ‘romantic’ encounters had been rushed, uncoordinated, and without any care for her own pleasure. It was a curious and somewhat cruel twist of fate that the one to take his time with her happened to be a former enemy. A man she still couldn’t pin down. A man that she’d be a fool to carve out any meaningful space in her heart for. Rose gasped when his lips dragged over her knuckles, his teeth and tongue playing at her frigid skin. His breath was warm and wet. She felt a tension coiling in her gut. It was to little and to much all at once. A small whine escaped her throat when dropped her hand gently. Rose opened her eyes. She hadn’t even realized she’d closed them. Hux was watching her with a coy look. “You’re quite easily affected, commander.”  
  
Rose gave a short huff, “Are you seriously going to tease me and leave me hanging?”  
  
Hux raised a single brow and blinked at her a few times before his gaze dropped to her lips. Rose didn’t have time to consider his intentions before he acted on them. His lips met hers in a soft, warm slide. She felt his hand cup her jaw and encourage her to tip her head back to gain better access to her mouth. Rose clung to the front of his jacket. Her lips parted at his tongue’s behest. The sensation of him inside her sent shocks of pleasure between her thighs. All too soon, he pulled away, though not too far. She felt his hair brush against the bridge of her nose. “Rose...” He began, but whatever he was going to say was cut off by the sound of a voice beyond the cave entrance.  
  
“Rose! Hux! Are you in there!?”  
  
Rose all but rolled out of Hux’s coat as she scrambled to her feet. “Poe!” She shuffled towards his voice and met him halfway, “Poe! Thank the Force!”  
  
“I saw the wreck! I worried neither of you had survived!” The ace pilot was dressed for the weather, with goggles and a head wrap to protect his face, but his smile was visible. “I’m glad you both are okay!”  
  
Hux scoffed as he limped towards them, “I find it highly unlikely you were concerned with my fate, Dameron.”  
  
Poe ‘tsk’ed at the taller man. “Good to see that you’re your usual cheery self, Hugs.”  
  
“Sod off.”  
  
“That’s no way to treat your savior!”  
  
Rose laughed, full and rich with relief. She placed a hand at Hux’s arm. She felt some of the tension leave him. “Let’s go. You two can bicker all you want on the way home. I just want to get out of here.”  
  
On the flight back to Ajan Kloss, if Poe had gone back to the cargo hold, he would have found Rose and Hux curled up against a pallet of rations, Hux’s greatcoat spread over them, fast asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me at @acosmiclove on twitter! ^_^


End file.
